Humidifier



April 18, 1967 R. G. TICKNOR 3,314,662

HUMIDIFIER Filed Aug. 12, 1964 2 $heets-$heet 1 INVENTOR. RAYMOND Gr. TICMNOR Hi5 ATTORNEY April 18, 1%? R. G. TICKNOR 3,314,652

HUMIDIFIER Filed Aug. 12, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 .nsmn w" MM f I v 4 ii H? ,L

I INVENTOR. RAYMOND G. TICK NOR HIS ATTORNEY United States Patent HUMIDIFIER Raymond G. Ticknor, Rochester, N.Y., assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Filed Aug. 12, 1964, Ser. No. 389,133 2 Claims. (Cl. 26130) This invention pertains to air heating and conditioning apparatus, and particularly to an improve-d humidifier for use with a warm air heating system.

Heretofore, it has been the practice to mount humidifiers for warm airheating systems in the plenum, or bonnet, of a furnace to supply moisture to the heated air during operation of the furnace. The present invention is directed to a humidifier construction which embodies an air propelled evaporative drum which provides installation flexibility, i.e., the humidifier can be attached under extended plenums or inserted into ducts or a plenum without the necessity of bypassing air to the warm air heating systems;

the aforesaid type comprising a self-con tained blower and an air propelled evaporative drum; and the still further provision of a humidifier of the aforesaid type including an air driven evaporative drum having strips of evaporative media wound thereon in axially spaced relationship.

The aforementioned and other objects are accomplished in the present invention by utilizing a separate motor driven blower as a source of power for the air propelled evaporative drum, and wherein the air is exfrom the interior of the evaporative drum so as to rotate the drum within the water reservoir and evaporate water therefrom.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein a preferred embodiment of the present invention is clearly shown, and wherein similar numerals depict similar parts throughout the several views.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a humidifier constructed according to the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along line 2--2 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-8 of FIGURE 3.

Referring to FIGURE 1, the improved power humidifier comprises a tank, or reservoir, which may be made from any number of suitable plastics or of metal which is resistant to water corrosion, the tank 10 having an open top, a front bulkhead12, an intermediate bulkhead 14 and a rear bulkhead 1 6. A blower housing 1-8 is suitably attached to the intermediate bulkhead 14, and the intermediate bulkhead =14 has an aperture 20 communicating with the outlet of the blower housing through which air is discharged. The blower housing may likewise be formed of a suitable plastic or metal resistant to water corrosion and contains a conventional squirrel cage blower wheel 22 driven by an electric motor 24. As seen in FIGURE 1, the blower housing includes an axial air inlet 26 through which the blower draws air from either the furnace plenum, a duct, or a room depending upon the type of installation.

Referring to FIGURE 2, the rear bulkhead .16 of the tank, or reservoir 10 supports a nipple 28 adapted to be connected to a water supply and a float valve 30 which is connected by a stem '32 to a float, or liquid 3,314,662 Patented Apr. 18, 1967 intermediate bulkhead.

An evaporative drum assembly 42 is rotatably joured between the front and intermediate bulkheads, the evaporative drum assembly comprises either molded plastic parts or metal parts including a centrally mounted shaft 44, a front hub and disc assembly 46 and a rear hub and impeller, or propeller, assembly 48. Opposite ends of the shaft 44 are journalled respectively in front and rear bearings 50 and 52 carried by the front and intermediate bulkheads. The evaporative drum assembly also includes a plurality of stays, or legs, 54 and a centrally mounted loop 56 that form a cylindrical support for the evaporative media comprising a strip of moisture absorbing foam tape or any suitable plastic sponge material '58 which is helically wound on, and adhesively bonded to, the cylindrical support with the strips being axially spaced as shown. The ends of the stays 54 are suitably attached to the front disc 46 and the hub of the the speed of rotation of the evaporative drum with a given size blower.

The blower motor 24 may be connected in circuit with the furnace blower motor so as to provide humidi-fication during the on cycle of the furnace blower. In opera tion, when the blower motor 24 is energized, blower wheel 22 will deliver air through the aperture 20 in the intermediate bulkhead 14, and this air impinging on the impeller 48 will rotate the evaporative drum assembly 42 so that the moisture absorbing media 58 will pick up water from the tank 10 and the air will be exhausted from the interior of the evaporative drum through the tape thereby evaporating water. The humidified air is discharged through the open top of the tank which, of course, will be connected to either the furnace plenum, an extended plenum, or a duct. A humidifier constructed according to the present invention can readily evaporate water at a rate of one-half gallon per hour.

While the embodiment of the invention as herein disclosed constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted.

What is claimed is as follows:

I. A power operated humidifier comprising, a Water reservoir, means operable to supply water to said reservoir and maintain a predetermined liquid level therein, a mot-or driven blower attached to said reservoir for supplying heated air thereto, and an evaporative drum rota-ta-bly journalled in said reservoir having an air impeller adjacent one end against which the air discharged by said blower impinges so as to rotate said evaporative drum, said evaporative drum comprising a circumferentially spaced stays operatively connected to a pair of hubs at opposite ends of said drum, a centrally mounted hoop attached to said stays and a helically wound strip of foam tape adhesively bonded to said stays with adjacent convolutions being axially spaced apart whereby rotation of said evaporative drum of the drum through said foam tape.

2. A power operated humidifier comprising, a water reservoir having a bottom wall, side walls, an open top, end bulkheads and an intermediate bulkhead, a motor driven blower attached to said intermediate bulkhead for delivering heated air to said reservoir, means oper- 3 able to supply water to said reservoir and maintain a predetermined liquid level therein, and an evaporative drum rotatably j-ournalled between one of said end and said intermediate bulkheads and having an air impeller adjacent one end thereof against which the air discharged by said blower impinges, said evaporative drum comprisinga centrally mounted shaft, a disc and a hub assembly attached to said shaft adjacent one end thereof, a second hub attached to the other end of said shaft adjacent said impeller, a cylindrical support operatively connected to said plurality of circumferentially spaced stays, and a helically Wound foam tape attached to said stays with adjacent convolutions being axially spaced apart whereby rotation of said drum will cause said foam tape .to pass through the water in said reservoir and be evap- =orated therefrom by air flow from the interior of the drum through said foam tape.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,826,508 10/1931 Decker 26180 1,868,808 7/1932 Robbins 261-8 3 2,440,446 4/ 1948 Kenny 26192 2,678,810 5/1954 Chandler 26 1--92 2,782,015 2/ 1957 Perrine 261-92 X 3,075,333 1/1963 Revell.

3,189,328 6/1965 Hotchkiss et al 26'1-92 X 3,212,492 -10/1965 Himmerich el at. 2 6 1-92 X HARRY B. THORNTON, Primary Examiner. T. R. MILES, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A POWER OPERATED HUMIDIFIER COMPRISING, A WATER RESERVOIR, MEANS OPERABLE TO SUPPLY WATER TO SAID RESERVOIR AND MAINTAIN A PREDETERMINED LIQUID LEVEL THEREIN, A MOTOR DRIVEN BLOWER ATTACHED TO SAID RESERVOIR FOR SUPPLYING HEATED AIR THERETO, AND AN EVAPORATIVE DRUM ROTATABLY JOURNALLED IN SAID RESERVOIR HAVING AN AIR IMPELLER ADJACENT ONE END AGAINST WHICH THE AIR DISCHARGED BY SAID BLOWER IMPINGES SO AS TO ROTATE SAID EVAPORATIVE DRUM, SAID EVAPORATIVE DRUM COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED STAYS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO A PAIR OF HUBS AT OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID DRUM, A CENTRALLY MOUNTED HOOP ATTACHED TO SAID STAYS AND A HELICALLY WOUND STRIP OF FOAM TAPE ADHESIVELY BONDED TO SAID STAYS WITH ADJACENT CONVOLUTIONS BEING AXIALLY SPACED APART WHEREBY ROTATION OF SAID EVAPORATIVE DRUM WILL CAUSE SAID FOAM TAPE TO PASS THROUGH THE WATER IN SAID RESERVOIR AND BE EVAPORATED THEREFROM BY AIR FLOW FROM THE INTERIOR OF THE DRUM THROUGH SAID FOAM TAPE. 